Ranking The Best American Runs at the 2026 US Open

The United States sent a tournament-high 41 total players to the 2026 US Open (18 men and 23 women), 28 of which earned direct entry into the singles draw. Quite a few Americans had stellar runs this year, with six advancing to the quarterfinals or later of the tournament, the most since 2022. Here’s how every notable American run stacked up at the 2026 US Open, ranked from best to worst.

Men’s Singles

1. Ben Shelton - Runner-Up

Shelton delivered the best tournament of his career, upsetting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a 3:33 a.m. quarterfinal finish before beating fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the semifinal to reach his first career Grand Slam final. Unfortunately, his run ended there, falling to Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2. Shelton was the frontrunner of a phenomenal hometown showing at this year’s US Open, but was ultimately denied his chance at becoming the first American man to win the tournament since Andy Roddick’s 2003 title.

2. Frances Tiafoe - Semifinal

Tiafoe reached his third US Open semifinal in five years, falling to Shelton in an all-American matchup, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5. He got there with solid wins over Vacherot and Medvedev, and then erased a two-set deficit against fellow American Alex Michelsen in the quarterfinals. This continues a run that’s now seen him reach the second week at Flushing Meadows in six of the last seven years.

3. Alex Michelsen - Quarterfinal

22-year-old Michelsen delivered a breakout run at this year’s tournament, reaching his first career Grand Slam quarterfinal without dropping a set through the first four rounds. Michelsen beat Aguilar and Etcheverry on the way, but finally lost his momentum against fellow American Frances Tiafoe, losing 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 in the quarterfinal after initially leading two sets to love.

4. Taylor Fritz - Fourth Round

Fritz’s performance at this year’s US Open was a bit underwhelming, especially given his run to the finals in New York just two seasons ago. This year, he beat Mattia Bellucci in round three before falling to No. 24 seed Francisco Cerundolo in just the fourth round, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

5. Learner Tien - Fourth Round

Tien took out Monfils and Mensik en route to the fourth round at this year’s US Open, where he fell to Karen Khachanov in five sets, 7-5, 4-6, 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-4. The young American has been on a breakout run lately, climbing into the top 15 of ATP world rankings for the first time in his career.

6. Tommy Paul - Fourth Round

No. 20 seed Tommy Paul avenged last year's US Open loss to Alexander Bublik with a five-set win in the third round before running into Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round, losing 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 without putting up much of a fight.

Women’s Singles

1. Coco Gauff - Semifinal

Coco Gauff reached her first US Open semifinal since she won the entire tournament back in 2023, beating No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva in a tense three-setter to advance to the semis versus the eventual champion, Elena Rybakina. Gauff fell 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 against Rybakina and capped off a resurgent summer that began with her first title of the season at the Cincinnati Open.

2. Jessica Pegula - Semifinal

Pegula reached her third straight US Open semifinal, losing to top seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 6-2. She survived a comeback win over 2021 finalist Leylah Fernandez in the fourth round before beating fellow American Emma Navarro in the quarterfinals. She even created a record of her own, becoming the first player in the Open Era to reach four Grand Slam semifinals after turning 30.

3. Emma Navarro - Quarterfinal

Navarro entered the US Open as the No. 15 seed and racked up wins over Boisson, McNally, and Muchova. She beat No. 21 seed Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets to reach the quarterfinal before running into Pegula, who beat her 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Pegula now leads their head-to-head 5-0.

4. Naomi Osaka - Fourth Round

The two-time champion Osaka battled past No. 23 seed Elise Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the third round while managing an Achilles injury. However, this is where her bid for a third US Open title ended with a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Elena Rybakina.

5. Taylor Townsend - Fourth Round

Townsend opened with a win over Maja Chwalinska and then dominated Taylah Preston in the second round. She beat Diana Shnaider to reach the fourth round, where she ran into top seed and eventual finalist Aryna Sabalenka, falling 6-4, 6-3 in a match that featured 11 breaks of serve.

6. Madison Keys - Third Round

Keys advanced through her first two rounds with wins over Alina Korneeva and Anna Bondar, a bounce-back after losing in the first round of last year’s tournament. She then squandered a 5-0 lead in the third set of her third-round match, ultimately falling to unseeded Qinwen Zheng, 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5.

7. Amanda Anisimova - Third Round

Last year’s US Open runner-up opened with a first-round win over Ashlyn Krueger, 6-1, 6-3, then beat Austrian Lilli Tagger 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the second round. She fell to Anastasia Potapova during the third round, 6-2, 7-5, in a tournament she later called part of a “pretty average” Grand Slam season overall.

This Year’s American Success

The 2026 US Open was one of the strongest showings American tennis has produced in a long time. Six Americans reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002, and Ben Shelton came within one match of ending the American men’s 23-year US Open title drought. The depth on display this year, including Shelton’s finals berth, Michelsen’s breakout, and Pegula’s record-setting consistency, made this the deepest collective showing American tennis has had at its home Slam in years.

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